Guest blog submitted by two_days_until_forever
This is my response to the Lovelyish entry: Beauty Pageants: Self-Esteem Booster or Confidence Breaker?
As a pageant queen myself, I have encountered many people who are completely uniformed about the true essence of beauty pageants. I also find that many people believe the stereotypes and generalize pageants as a whole. I find this very upsetting. General stereotypes and generalizations are often criticized, yet many people do not seem to find an issue in placing them upon pageants. One pageant may emphasize certain ideals or one contestant may behave inappropriately, but this does not mean all pageants and contestants fulfill that particular image. Let me break it down for you into two truths.
1. All pageant girls are not the same.
Laugh all you want at Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007 Caitlin Upton’s unintelligent response at the Interview segment of the national pageant. Shake your head at the behavior of Miss USA 2006 Tara Connor. Does the behavior of those two women mean that all pageant queens act that way? Absolutely not. You could not be farther from the truth if you believed that all pageant girls are not making the most of their education or that the girls go wild at clubs. Sadly, we all see the media reports about certain contestants who do represent these distasteful images. But there are many more girls who are not portrayed that are responsible.
I have never gone clubbing and I assure you that I am not confused about my global geography. I would feel ashamed to hold a title and to embarrass my pageant company and mock pageants all over the world in such incidents. I know that many other beauty queens feel the same way. Most contestants put admirable efforts into their schoolwork and strive to be well-informed citizens about national and global current events. Most contestants take pride in making safe decisions for themselves and others.
Every pageant girl is her own individual human being. We each have our own interests and passions. I enjoy fashion design and I have sewn some of my own gowns. However, the girl next to me may be a soccer star, a clarinet talent, or something else. We may enter pageants for different reasons.
Some girls are truly vying for the glory of the crown (or their mother is pushing them to), some love the gowns and glamor, others are interested in scholarships, and so forth. Not all of us are bleached blonde and dipped in the most unnatural orange self-tanner with perfectly fake French manicure tips glued to our fingernails.
Pageants are a wonderful source for beautifully diverse girls to come together for the competition. We are unique sources of intelligence, talent, and beauty. Please recognize that all pageant girls are not the same.
2. Beauty pageants are created differently.
Apparently all beauty pageants only judge girls on how much beauty they possess and crown the prettiest of them all. Wrong! Beauty pageants get a hard time for demanding girls to be beautiful, yet I do not see the problem with this. I realize that most people assume that pageants seek outer beauty, but a true pageant queen is so much more.
It is true that some pageants do have very strict standards of outer beauty and base the results upon such factors. However, not all beauty pageants follow that code. One pageant system I love and have participated in myself never hosted a swimsuit competition and accepts girls of all sizes to successfully compete. The judges look for real women who are strong and sparkling on the inside. These girls are also happen to be lovely to the eyes as well, but then again I am a person who believes all women are beautiful in their own special way. Not all pageants discriminate due to size and outer beauty. Many beauty pageants simply judge the poise and confidence of a contestant, not just her pretty face and toned body. All beauty pageants judge on varying aspects and therefore represent different women.
Get the facts before bashing beauty pageants, please. While there are individual contestants or competitions who do not give the beauty pageant the respectable association deserved, that doesn’t mean all beauty pageants do. There are many beautiful women of all different races, shapes, sizes, and nationalities across the world that exude the beautiful, intelligent, charitable and poised young women that many beauty pageants strive to celebrate.
How much of this information did you know before — has your view toward beauty pageants changed? How many of you have participated in beauty pageants before?
guest
Thank you for this. I’d never realized. R. Hood
guest
When I was a kid, I wanted to do beauty pageants, but my mom alwys said no. Lol. Honestly, I’d still like to try my hand at one; it looks like fun.
I don’t think I’ve ever really had a negative view of beauty pageants, despite the assumptions people make about them. In my view, they celebrate grace, beauty, poise, and glamour – what’s so wrong with that?
guest
Doesn’t change my view at all, take that as you will (:
guest
“As a pageant queen myself, I have encountered many people who are completely uniformed about the true essence of beauty pageants.”
Uniformed? Ha, couldn’t have said that better myself.
guest
@misswonderj@xanga - same
Well Known Beauty Pagent: Alicia Guastaferro – from Wife Swap
She doesnt know how to spell, and makes her Mom do her projects lol
guest
well shit..aren’t we all different LOLS
guest
I’M NOT A BEAUTY PAGEANT
BUT DAMN WELL I GOT CHARISMA , ya digg hahahahha .
guest
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I agree with you 100%.
Personally, I compete in National American Miss (Who doesn’t even have a swimsuit competition). It’s 30% On stage personal introduction, 30% Personal interview, 30% Formal wear, and 10% Community service. I’m still in my reign as Miss California, and I’m actually doing something with my title.
I really hate when people say, “What? You don’t seem like a pageant girl at all! You can form sentences!” It’s honestly really sad to know that there are so many preconceived notions out there. A true pageant woman is well rounded… Not just someone who looks good in a bathing suit. If only people realized that. -_-
guest
so now even the best of them are judging girls on… grace and poise? confidence? what does that boil down to?
now girls are rewarded for moving pretty as well as standing pretty! right? poise means you have great posture and move gracefully and don’t look flustered when you are asked questions. confidence is something along the same lines.
not having a swim suit contest doesn’t make it meaningful.
i’d pretty much rather beauty pageants be honest with themselves and be beauty pageants. straight up judge who’s prettier, and not spout bullshit.
your entry sounds like a college rejection letter–full o’ bs.
but its true there’s good money involved if you win. i understand that motivation :]
orchid / 103 posts
@StreetChaseNManhattan@xanga - It’s a simple typing mistake that anyone could have made. I do know how to spell ‘uninformed’ thank you very much. I never said pageant queens were perfect!
@Riding_Hood@xanga - I’m glad you appreciated this!
@chicktaylor@xanga - There are many systems out there to consider! You should give it a try!
@phuck_diz_shiz@xanga - If you think all pageant queens are like that, then you missed the point of my post.
@immaairheadxl@xanga - Yes, we all are different people. Pageants are not as exclusive as people think, though.
@MeLoveYouL0ngTime@xanga - Yes, I had a state title with National American Miss as well, and that the pageant I was mainly writing about.
@moechataneko@xanga - But anyone can develop poise and confidence. You don’t have to be beautiful in order to be poised and confident.
guest
Interesting entry. I’ve work backstage at 4 pageants last year and have a few scheduled for the up coming year. I interact with the girls on a one-on-one basis (makeup & hair)
Some girls are your typical spoiled little princess (even without the tiara) and some girls are just well rounded well liked girls who everyone wants to be friends with.
But its funny that the stereotype is dumb pretty girls because the majority of pageant girls I know tend to go to really good schools, get good grades, and do a whole lot more community service than most people do.
guest
regardless of how the girls are, i still don’t like beauty pageants – especially the shallow ones like miss america and miss universe.
orchid / 103 posts
@youngvan@xanga - I definitely know what you mean by the princesses without tiaras. It can be suffocating when the majority of the pageant consists of that type of contestant.
@nekkid@xanga - What don’t you like about them?
guest
@two_days_until_forever - i guess what i was trying to get at was that its still very horse-show-like. yes, its true that they’ve opened up pageants a lot more recently so that the physical conditions you were born with don’t factor in as much, which is great. unfortunately its missing the fact that women are expected to move nicely and prettily, whereas men are never asked to do the same thing, on stage, in a fancy dress (although if they did i’d definitely watch!).
also its not like they’ve become equal-opportunity bonanza’s where effort trumps natural gifts every time. its not true that everyone has equal chance to become poised and graceful and confident. i, for one, have a rather erratic self esteem and a great talent for falling over, walking into walls/furniture, and walking like a hippo in heels because i have horrid balance. telling me to work hard to catch up with other girls in poise and grace is like telling miss fattyMcfatterson to just work REAAAALLY hard to look like heidi klum. ya i guess we both have a chance… but its still a toughie if you’re not naturally blessed with whatever assets the competition is looking for. *shrug* ultimately i would never do a pageant unless i was DYING for the money, which is exactly the same point of view i have about stripping or being an import model or golddigger.
tulip / 10 posts
Pageant queens rock!
orchid / 103 posts
@moechataneko@xanga - I suppose I do not see the harm in poise. I think being poised and composed carries with you through life. If you worked for a business and had to give a presentation, you wouldn’t appear nervous and could radiate a positive attitude that would make people want to listen to your ideas and proposals. Even just having confidence, that was developed from pageantry, at a party and meeting new people there could be a good advantage from the experience! But you don’t have to be a pageant queen to be poised and/or confident.
I actually have watched a male pageant! No, it wasn’t a serious one, but some of the guys did wear dresses! One of them wore my Dorothy costume from sixth grade, and the guy was a football quarterback. It was hilarious! The Talent portion had a guy in a leotard dancing to “I Feel Pretty” too. The idea should definitely be pursued for humor’s sake.
If you wanted to be a pageant queen badly enough, or had someone pushing you to be good at them, then you probably would see some sort of transformation. Not all contestants are blessed – I know most of the girls do train and coach. I know I walk much more often in high heels than the average girl. However, not everyone wants to be a pageant queen or even likes them! That’s perfectly okay, really. I completely understand that and I know I would be expecting too much if I wanted everyone to like pageants.
My point was that pageant girls are human and to say that pageants can be respectable. I have had many people place stereotypes and generalizations on pageants and pageant girls such as myself and some of my friends. As in the case of practically all stereotypes and generalizations, not everyone applies. There are exceptions every time.
I really appreciated reading your thoughts, by the way!
orchid / 103 posts
@madwriter1022@xanga - Yes they do! Thanks for the inspiration!
hydrangea / 76 posts
poise…i dont think it benifits by making people look more graceful alone..it also keeps you healthy…its how you carry yourself..its posture.
i beleive that all women are beautiful..in thier own way..
i mean who said you have to be tanned, blond and french manicured to be pretty?
have nothing against them but beauty is simply not measured by any scale at all…think about it.
its natural to think anyone who looks pretty, participating in a pageants are all snooty spoiled rich girls…who are dumb and whatever that follows..
but be realistic…not all of them are like that.
there are down to earth girls there too.
i think that every person is different.
if not…you are just judging the book by its cover.
it wouldnt be fair for anyone.
get to know them before you decide.
beauty comes in all shapes and sizes…in all colours..and lengths..and usually what gives it a kick is the personality that comes with it.
i say this for all women.
and no..im not biased..lol…im slim myself..have naturally tan skin..dark hair..and blue grey eyes..
and i stand by what i just stated..:P
thankx ppl.
-Just Me-
hydrangea / 76 posts
oh yeah..forgot one tiny thing..
i totally agree with this article…go girl!!!
-Just Me-
guest
I have done a pageant before and really, they’re not that superficial. The one I was in wasn’t even based on beauty! Rather it was academics, intellect, talent, community service and at least some poise and grace!